NEWS- Kelly's plight: Incarcerated 'soccer mom' talks at last

After nearly five years, Elisa Kelly breaks her silence. PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO

Elisa Kelly hasn't had a shower in two days, and she's a little worried about how she will look in her photographs. "You have 15 girls in a cell," she explains, "with one shower, one toilet."

One week after starting her 27-month jail sentence for buying and serving beer for her son's 16th birthday party, Kelly is more composed than she was in teary interviews she gave during her first few days in the joint.

She's also freezing in her red Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail jumpsuit, and has already learned to request a jumpsuit three sizes too big so she can stick her arms in the sleeves for extra warmth. Another inmate gave her an undershirt, but when she entered jail on June 11, she didn't think she'd need socks to go with her jail-issued shower shoes. "It's like an iceberg in there," she says, mentioning that she has thermal underwear on order.

Her previous life did not prepare the 42-year-old former PTO president for living behind bars. "I never had a speeding ticket or a parking ticket," says Kelly. She did volunteer at her children's schools and worked as a substitute Spanish teacher.

While more than one friend has called her a "soccer mom," she actually coached her two sons' baseball, football, and basketball teams. She knew all of the 30 or so teenaged attendees at that fateful birthday party because, she says, "I had coached all these kids."

Kelly's decision to buy booze for them has cost her– even though she took steps that fateful August 16, 2002 to keep the kids from driving. She collecting car keys in a bucket and says she planned to block the driveway so no one could leave. That didn't sway local judge Dwight Johnson. In February 2003, he hit her and her estranged husband, George Robinson, with eight-year sentences. The terms were reduced to 27 months– still unheard of for hosting teens in party-happy Albemarle County, and two years longer than the 90 days recommended by Commonwealth's Attorney Jim Camblos.

Before she was arrested, "I was picking these kids up from other parents' houses when they'd been drinking," says Kelly.

The punishments made international news. Kelly was interviewed by the BBC last week. Her story has appeared in the Times of London and bounced to Australia and South Africa as an example of American neo-Puritanism. Later this week, she's supposed to talk to Inside Edition. And she believes her son, Ryan Kenty, is on his way to an appearance on Oprah.

Telling her story to Washington Post reporter Daniela Deane, says Kelly, has inspired her to go into journalism, and she may write a book too.

Besides spending the last five years trying to stay out of jail, Kelly also went through a contentious divorce from Robinson that went to the Supreme Court of Virginia. And two days after he remarried on October 16, 2004 (wearing knight's armor), the 6,000-square-foot Bleak House Road house she'd shared with him burned to the ground. "We had an elaborate alarm system that was wired to the fire station," she says. But it wasn't on that day.

Kelly clears up a report from a neighbor that she fled the fire clad in a towel. The neighbor was being polite, she says. "I was in the bathtub. I ran naked."

Kelly and Robinson appealed their sentences to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case. And beyond the issue of underage drinking, she's still outraged at what she contends was a violation of her Fourth Amendment rights. "Even if you're on rural land, police officers have the right to come up to your property any time," she contends.

Though convicted of misdemeanors– three months for each of nine counts– Kelly finds herself in a cell with women who've been convicted of assault and battery.

"It's very scary in there," she says. "The second day I was there a girl beat another one severely. We were screaming. [The attacker] said, 'Who's next?'"

She says she's been threatened twice, and nights are particularly terrifying. After lights out at 11pm, "You could scream your head off and be dead until next morning," she says.

In jail, as on the outside, people are deeply divided about the severity of her sentence. Several fellow inmates she describes as "crack heads" have spit at her and told her they think what she did was terrible and that she should have gotten more time.

"And I'm a misdemeanor, and they're felons," she muses.

Kelly bemoans the fact that while men have a gym and a basketball court, women at the regional jail get one hour of exercise a week, and she says a nurse informed her that each meal has 3,000 calories.

Jail superintendent Col. Ronald Matthews concedes that male inmates in the new wing have more access to exercise. But he contradicts Kelly's claim about the meals.

"It's not 3,000 calories," he says, adding that the meals meet the dietary guidelines established by the National Academy of Sciences.

"All inmates are safe," he says. Once women prisoners are locked in at night in their 15-woman cells, officers make two random checks each hour. If there's a fight and inmates are making noise– and an officer is at his or her post– they will break up the ruckus.

He points out the difficulty of maintaining comfortable temperatures in a jail with old and new wings, when some people like it cool and some don't. He estimates the jail temperature is between 70 and 72 degrees. "All I can say is it's not hot in here, and no one's in here sweating," he says.

Kelly questions the wisdom of using taxpayer funds to keep her in jail when, she believes, she could be more productive doing work release or community service or under house arrest. Her children, she says, "are very affected" by the whole ordeal.

Her younger son, Brandon, is working two jobs because he feels he needs to provide a place for his mom to live when she gets out. He's going into the 11th grade and getting ready to go to college, which Kelly feels is the most important year when he most needs his mother. And she doesn't want him to be like Ryan, a straight-A student and athlete who dropped out of Albemarle High because, she says, "I was the subject of ridicule."

Kelly wants to clear up two other allegations about her alleged cover-up attempts before and after the party. "I didn't tell any kids to drink vinegar, and I did not lie to any parent [about whether there would be alcohol at the party]," she says.

She's hoping the next time she's before a judge, she'll be shown some leniency for the four-year ordeal she's gone through before ever setting foot in jail. "This has ruined my life," she says. "This has ruined my children's lives."

#

25 comments

Sandy June 21st, 2007 | 8:20pm

Sounds like Kelly needs to make the best of her situation. Calling other women "crack heads" isn't going to make her any friends. Complaining will not help her time in jail. I am sure the jails do the best they can with their resources.
Kellys' kids are not the first to be affected by a bad situation, maybe she shouldn't have bought the booze and given it to the kids at the party.
She put herself where she is, too bad she took others with her down her trail of woos. I am sure George and his family is suffering more, he left a wife and baby at home. I haven't read of him bad-mouthing people!!!

lu June 21st, 2007 | 8:36pm

The BBC is right about this. This is selective Puritanism at its worst. The crazy judge and Prosecuter Camblos who initiated this both need to be investigated for their fitness to sit in a court of law. They have ruined the lives of 2 young men along with the life of a mother who made a mistake...nothing more!

Betsy June 22nd, 2007 | 12:50am

Everyone's right. All the comments are sensible. But what now? How can we change this ridiculous 21 year old drinking law, a law that doesn't work, a law so absurd that basically no one follows it, and is the cause of this problem and others like it? When I grew up, we waited till we were 18, or maybe pushed it a year, because that was do-able. Now, with the prospect of waiting to be 21 to drink, there basically is no believable law and no guideline - 15 year olds drink as easily as 19 year olds, and kids are forced into binge drinking so as not to be seen doing it. Poor Elisa Kelly got caught in the middle, a victim of a bad decision and a ridiculous "justice" system. What can we do to tell our legislators we need a law that isn't a joke, so we, parents, can enforce it???

Seriously - what can be done???

lynn June 22nd, 2007 | 2:36pm

She was offered a plea-agreement for 90 days, which she turned down because she was still refusing to take responsibility for her actions. I believe that 27 months is a long time, but she defintely deserved something. At least she can look on the bright side, she gets a day for a day, so she will be out in 13 1/2 months.
She probably intended to take precautions that night, but from what I remember reading in the paper when this first happened, there were only 2 sets of keys in her "bucket", and if the driveway was blocked, how could the office drive up to her house??? And I believe that Jim Camblos had sworn statements from kids and parents about what was said and what they were told that night. Does anyone think that Mr. Camblos pulled that information out of thin air??
I think a book would be interesting. However, it would have to be sold as a Fiction, because that's what her version would be.

concerned June 22nd, 2007 | 6:55pm

Why do we as parents need it to be a law to tell our kids NO!! When I was growing up my parents did not allow drinking at their home and still don't. It made it harder for me to drink (which as a teenager I did at times) but had they allowed it I would have drank much more. Does the law really make a difference or is it the morals and values we teach our children of what is appropiate and what is not? Laws are the guidelines for our kids when they are grown. Parents make the ultimate boundary lines when they are children. I for one am glad that my parents were more concerned with being parents than buddies with me, I may not be perfect but turned out alot better than I would have if they had chosen to raise me different.

whatever June 22nd, 2007 | 7:04pm

She knew that what she was doing was against the law when she did it. She took a chance and got caught. So don't cry about it now and point the finger elsewhere, take responsibility. Jail is not supposed to be like home that is the whole point. Duh!! She ask for it and she got it. Go Judge Johnson!!!!

Sane June 24th, 2007 | 5:35am

Amazed at opinions like the one "whatever" gave.

This business about her taking responsibility is a joke. I expect that if she was given 20 years this foolish person would say the same thing. Sentencing her to community work would have been justice. This is madness.

whatever June 24th, 2007 | 11:39am

To Sane:

No I do not think 20 years would have been ok. However had one or more of those children died it would have been not enough!!!

Mom of 3 June 24th, 2007 | 9:01pm

One of my young adult kids told me recently that when parents are "friends " with their kids, then the kids have no parents. I value the safety of my kids much more than I do their opinions of me- I can deal if my kids get angry with me because I am an adult. So, if one of my children wants to have a party and have me provide alcohol, it's not happening. If I know that someone is serving teenagers alcohol, I will call the police. If my kids are outcasts, they can hang with other outcasts and live to go to college. And if you think that they went wild at college- nope, the older ones didn't and they tell me it is because we trusted them and never sermonized or threatened.

This lady in jail just does not get what it takes. She is kind of pitiful but I am just glad she was not a factor in anyone getting killed. We need to keep in mind that one of these times a drunk teenager will take out someone else in a car in this community. We all have a stake in fighting underage drinking.

Casey June 25th, 2007 | 1:01am

It's just a law and 21 is as arbitrary a number as this law is effective at curbing under age drinking. After all, underage only means under the age set by the law, nothing to do with an individual's body to copy with alcohol.

As a BBC reporter commented, the ages for voting, owning a gun, driving a car, serving in the army are all lower than 21 in the land of the free. He might have added the age of consent and marriage.

Imagine some 20 year old finding his or her spouse in bed with someone else, then shooting them with a legally owned weapon and driving off in a legally driven car, knocking down a few pedestrians, along the way. etc etc.

This impossibly silly scenario is as silly as the drinking law. Wouldn't the lawmakers' time be better spent finding new enemies and dreaming up new wars?

I am very sorry for this woman's plight and that of her sons'. But one can always rely on stories such as this to keep us amused. Have you heard the one about the Washington lawyer and the Korean dry cleaners?

Except, we are not amused.

Its the law June 25th, 2007 | 2:12pm

Fact: The legal age of drinking is 21. Fact: It is illegal to provide alcohol to people under the age of 21. Fact: Virginia law specifically states the maximun punishment for being found guilty of providing alcohol to underage individuals.

These are things we all know or maybe want to research before we make a concious informed decision to voluntarily violate the law. If you don't agree with a law or it's potential punishment then work to change it. Just because you don't agree with a law does not give you the right to violate it.

What kind of message does it send to a child when we as parents show them its ok violate the law if we don't agree with it.

Drinknig and driving is not the only health concern associated with consumning alcohol. When a person is intoxicated they tend not to make the best of choices, unprotected sex, they may be more aggressive, not to mention alcohol poisening, etc..

Lastly, give me a break....Please kids put your keys in the bucket and, in the same hipocritical voice that just broke the law by buying alcohol for children, dont drink and drive! What!!

M June 25th, 2007 | 2:33pm

I am not sure if any of you are aware of this.....are you ready...... Jail is not nice! I know, when you see it on TV you think, wow I could live there.

I am sure as each of you are aware you or your spouse are not completely satisfied with the current temperature in your house. Imagine trying to satisfy over 500 men and women.

Yes, inmates do fight. Imagine putting 15 women is a room where they eat, sleep and socialize 24/7. I love my spouse however, I would not want to be with her 24/7 in the same room. Oh ya and referring to them as crack heads doesn't help much.

As far as being away from her childern, so NOW she cares about her children. What about throwing alcohol down her children's throats and oh ya OTHER peoples children as well. Are you kidding me with this nonsense! Do your time and be grateful you are not serving 8 years.

M June 25th, 2007 | 2:34pm

I am not sure if any of you are aware of this.....are you ready...... Jail is not nice! I know, when you see it on TV you think, wow I could live there.

I am sure as each of you are aware you or your spouse are not completely satisfied with the current temperature in your house. Imagine trying to satisfy over 500 men and women.

Yes, inmates do fight. Imagine putting 15 women is a room where they eat, sleep and socialize 24/7. I love my spouse however, I would not want to be with her 24/7 in the same room. Oh ya and referring to them as crack heads doesn't help much.

As far as being away from her childern, so NOW she cares about her children. What about throwing alcohol down her children's throats and oh ya OTHER peoples children as well. Are you kidding me with this nonsense! Do your time and be grateful you are not serving 8 years.

M June 25th, 2007 | 2:34pm

I am not sure if any of you are aware of this.....are you ready...... Jail is not nice! I know, when you see it on TV you think, wow I could live there.

I am sure as each of you are aware you or your spouse are not completely satisfied with the current temperature in your house. Imagine trying to satisfy over 500 men and women.

Yes, inmates do fight. Imagine putting 15 women is a room where they eat, sleep and socialize 24/7. I love my spouse however, I would not want to be with her 24/7 in the same room. Oh ya and referring to them as crack heads doesn't help much.

As far as being away from her childern, so NOW she cares about her children. What about throwing alcohol down her children's throats and oh ya OTHER peoples children as well. Are you kidding me with this nonsense! Do your time and be grateful you are not serving 8 years.

Casey June 26th, 2007 | 2:42am

You seem to be suggesting that alcohol should be banned completely. As far as I know, Muslims don't drink alcohol - that's millions of people demonstrating that life goes on without it. BTW, what is the legal age to smoke cigarettes in the land of the free?
Anyway, let's just ban sex (disease) and flights (pollution) and politicians (corruption). And everything.

AHM July 4th, 2007 | 8:28pm

I'm sorry - but somehow, the priorities of this country are just absurd. A woman makes a mistake, which mirrors what another parent did with MY sons about 5 years ago. I wasn't happy, either, but I didn't call the police.

But gee - Scooter Libby gets off with zero jail time for lying under oath, when he had been trusted as a government employee, and had subverting the covert status of a government employee, and this woman gets two+ years for serving some drinks?

This is just nuts.

JOHN August 22nd, 2007 | 8:38am

I JUST RECENTLY READ THE ARTICLE ON MSNBC. 2+ YEARS! Another reason why I HATE THE STATE OF VIRGINIA! A bunch of right wing super conservative fuks. Not everyone goes to Bible camp every summer. Kids drink, its a fact of life. Its better be under the supervision of an adult. Otherwise you have excessive binge drinking teenagers who don't know when to stop

David September 6th, 2007 | 12:03pm

Sandy below is interesting. I would like to see Sandy go to jail for jay walking or something funny. Because then WE all can sit here and ridicule you and your complaints about how jail sucks. Obviously you don't know and you think you are all that commenting on how she is complaining? She's complaining because she doesn't belong in there. She's nothing like those losers that wind up in there. She's not learning a lesson. She's going to come out and be straight edge but her beloved VA in her eyes is a betraying back stabbing piece of crap state.

Richard Soto September 11th, 2007 | 8:34pm

This is stupid! 2.5 years for a having beer at a party. What next are they going to bring back debtors prison? A hefty fine and community service would have been appropriate. Some people do less time for real crimes.

momof2 September 14th, 2007 | 1:23pm

First to David. How dare you say that she is nothing like those losers that wind up in there. You have no clue who winds up in there. And to call them losers, you are the loser. She is there because she belongs there. She won't take responsibility for her actions and maybe thru the time served she will. I find it odd that people actually believe that an injustice has been served. This woman is an obvious nut who thought it was more important to be her children's friend than a parent. She is right where she belongs and the fact that she was a PTO president and coached her children's sports team is just an indicator that they will allow anyone to do those things.

Gunter Hallowgreen November 15th, 2007 | 5:46pm

In Europe things are different. Here is a survey about youth aged 13-15.

The European School Survey Project on alcohol and other drugs - The numbers for Denmark (2003)

1) Drinking alcohol at least one time during the last 12 months: 95%
2) Been drunk at least one time during the last 12 months: 82%

Can this country produce more deaths, teenagers either pregnant or in jail out of the total number of teenagers in percentage terms.

No - not even close.

What are we afraid of?

motherof3 March 12th, 2008 | 10:47am

She doesn't deserve this. Cases such as Kelly's make the American system seem like a joke. Thankfully, God will punish the prosecutor and Judge involved, making them suffer endlessly for destroying the lives of this family. I pray for Kelly and her family, and the may true justice be brought on all the opposing parties involved.

God bless,
Kate

my two cents March 12th, 2008 | 8:22pm

I think that the real failure here is the Prosecuters. If he were worth a crap he would have been able to strike a deal for community Service that would have required her to spend time traveling around making teens aware of the dangers. All at her own expense. Instead he spent probably 50k on the prosecution and another 100k to keep her in jail for 2.5 years. Not to mention the money the state spent defending the sentence on appeal. The Prosecutor is supposed to look out for society not waste the taxpayers money to make his schlong look potent.

Shams July 6th, 2008 | 12:37pm

People end up in jail for a variety of reasons: some because they made mistakes, some because they live dysfunctional lives, and some because the system is dysfunctional. It seems to me that in this case both Kelly and the system are dysfunctional. Kelly's dysfunction is a direct result of the dysfunctional legal and social community where Kelly and her family lived. When alcohol consumption is socially accepted, as it is in the USA and most of the Western world, the responsibility of adults is to teach young people how to consume this substance in a healthy, pro-social manner. I can understand why Kelly thought she was offering guidence to the young people who attended the party, though who was offering guidence to her? A justice system that ignores the reality that youth (modelling adults) use alcohol, and fails to enact laws that support the gradual pro-social introduction of a legal substance in a controlled fashion (perhaps like the European's who legally introduce watered down wine to children during family meals)contributes to the problem of youth binge drinking. Ultimately, the issues in this case require in-depth analysis and rationale evaluation to reach meaningful conclusions. The issues are: Why do we continue to support the use of alcohol in our culture when alcohol is the cause of so many social problems (disease, criminality, accidental death and injuries, relationship breakdown, employment absences and underproductivity....)? Does our justice system effectively administer "justice"? What principles are American's living by in the new millenium?
Kelly certainly made decisions that I don't approve of - though I don't think her community made decisions in response to her choices that were any better than hers. This entire case represents VA in a very poor light!